ATLFerg

I'm new to Corvettes and this forum so any help is appreciated.
It's a black on black 100% stock Z06 with 47k miles. The interior and exterior are in perfect shape and it drove very well. One owner and always serviced at the dealer. It was in a small accident in a parking lot where a lady backed into the drivers side rear fender but it was repaired by Magnum Collision which is a very good shop here in north Atlanta. It has not had the valve springs replaced and it will need new tires very soon. It will be purchased from the original owner but here in Georgia I will have to pay about $1100 to register it the first time since no tax. He's pretty firm at $20k. What do you guys think?

bikeriderga

20K is a pretty good deal on a Z06 with 47K miles. Not sure about the collision, but I would check out the severity of the collision. If a minor fender bender, not a bad deal. New tires are expensive (for the best ones), figure 1500.00 min for the tires.

Make sure to check the PID codes to see if there are any current and history codes.

I would use BuyAVette.com as a guide for pricing near and around the Southeast. The BuyAVette vettes are overpriced at about an average of 2,000.00, but they stand behind every certified vehicle they sell (2 year warranty, tires will be in good shape, body, drivetrain, etc).

Based upon the description of the Vehicle, BuyAvette's in like condition are around 23-24K. The accident takes a little off the price.

Therefore, you are in the ballpark, price wise. Adding tires would put you at around 22,000.00, so if you added 2K for warranty, full service (all fluids changed out), you would be in the same price range for a BuyAVette price. That means it is a fair deal.

ATLFerg

They didn't have to replace the fender, just repair it. Here are the codes that I pulled:
C1214h
B2208h
B2282h
B2284h
U1064h
B2283h
B2285h
B0851h

bikeriderga

These are all history codes, now I would check each one to find out potential issues.

Here is a site that list the Corvette DIC codes

http://www.stengel.net/diccodes.htm


Drive the car about 20-30 miles and see if any of these return, if possible.

One other thing to check for is the lights in the HVAC display. If they are dim, it means you will need to replace the HVAC Control or apply the HVAC Control Unit repair. This is common on older Vettes.

Last see if you can get a good Vette Mechanic to check it out. May cost you 80-100 dollars but worth the piece of mind, IMHO..

ATLFerg

Thanks for the response. The HVAC display was lit well. Is this typically from repetitive hearing and cooling and the solder joints separate? The car was garage kept its whole life until last month because the owner downsized his house and lost a garage spot so it was climate controlled. He is in his 60s and said he just doesn't drive it much anymore and hates it sitting outside in the weather. Does anyone know an honest Corvette mechanic in the Marietta GA area?

Architect

Sounds like a great find. At 20k, what the hell are you waiting for?!?

MidShark

At that price and mileage, If I had found it first- it would be in my garage now.

jerkyboy

I'd say it's a pretty good deal. I just paid 23.5K for mine but the springs were done and I got a pickup truck full of spares.

ATLFerg

Well I am planning in buying it but it's going to take a couple more weeks. He hasn't listed it for sale yet I found out through a friend that he was thinking about selling it. Anyone have an honest shop north of Atlanta that will change out the valve springs for a decent price?

bikeriderga

Marietta is not too far for you to take a trip to Cumming, GA to Vengeance Racing. They probably know Vettes as well as anyone in Atlanta and in the nation. Second choice is the BuyAVette shop in Tucker. Those are the two I trust the most in this area.

The Chevy dealers in Atlanta are outrageous when performing vehicle maintenance on a Corvette. They wanted up to 1500.00 just to take the dash out of my 2000 Vette. Outrageous!!

The Altanta dealers do not get my business, instead the dealer of choice for me is Glynn Smith Chevrolet in Opelika, AL. For less than what the stealers in Atlanta wanted, they not only removed the dash, but replaced both of my AC actuators and fixed my HVAC Head unit. That included both parts and labor! The Vette mechanic also spent about 30 minutes with me going over every single area of my Vette including the engine bay and under carriage; --tranmission, seals, joints bearings, etc.

I just recently took my 03 Z06 to Glynn Smith Chevy and they inspected it from stem to stern (brakes, hoses, clutch, bearings, seals, etc), polished my throttle bodies, changed out the differential fluids, added the new non slip additive all for less than 250.00 total!

That's why for dealer service I will continue to travel to Opelika, AL and take it to Glynn Smith Chevrolet. Just schedule an appointment and the Vette mechanic will walk you through your vehicle under the hood and under the car. He will tell you whatever you want or need to know. Unlike many dealer mechanics, he will attempt to fix items and not just sell you a new part. He will fix HVAC units (new lights and soldering) rather than just charge you for a new unit. Very, very few dealers who will even attempt to do this.

For performance work, we are extremely fortunate in the metro Atlanta area to have Vengeance Racing, BuyAvette, and Summit Racing. Vengeance is a top notch GM performance shop, one of the best in the entire nation. BuyAVette is the largest used Vette dealer in the nation and I rate them high for service as well.

Lastly, I agree with others that the Z06 you are looking at seems like a very good deal. If everything checks out, sounds like you will be getting a very good buy. Since it was garage kept, that means you should have little to no corrosion on the grounding points. That is a major plus.

The history codes could be due to low battery voltage (easily explainable as it was garage stored). As I stated a 30 minute trip should tell you if they are recurring issues or not. Check them after the trip and if none are current (still history), you should be fine.

I it were me, I would still want a mechanic to check the under body for any damage, leakage, etc. If no issues, sounds like a heck of a deal. As stated, unless he has the service records (and the service has been done in the last year), plan on changing out the fluids (engine oil, brake fluid, coolant, differential, etc). Good time to drive to Opelika,AL for that type of full service.

For tires, I found Kaufman Tire to be among the most reliable and fair priced on the Michelin Pilot Super Sports in the Atlanta area. They carry others, but Super Sports are hard to beat. Heard good things about the Nittos as well. I have had the stock Goodyears, Pirelli PZeros (don't get these, they do not grip and you will experience wheel hop on high speed shifts), and the Michelin Pilot Sport, and Super Sports tires. The Michelins are the best (which is why the new C7 Z51, Z06 will be using them as well as the C6 ZR1). From what I hear from everyone else, the Nittos are probably number two. Vredestein gets good reports as well.

Best of luck and look me up once you are driving.

tmtraylor

MTI Racing in Marietta would be on my list if I needed a mechanic.

bikeriderga

Forgot about MTI.. Have not been to them, but they have a good reputation.

There is your answer, OP.

ATLFerg

Wow, thanks for all the great info. I'm going to call some places tomorrow and get some prices on changing the valve springs. I should be able to get service records from either the owner or the dealer he takes it to so I will know what else should need done. Again thanks for the great info.

mpride

Changing the valve springs is not that technically challenging if you take your time. i have done it on one Z and I'll be doing it on the one I have now as soon as I get time. You can search for the procedure on the forum.

ATLFerg

I looked up how to do it and it doesn't look that difficult but I don't have the tools or really the time. MTI said they would do it for $500 and Vengeance Racing didn't answer when I called today. The Chevy dealer called their Corvette guy and he said 6 hours of labor so that's not gonna happen. MTI is real close by so unless Vengeance comes in with a much better price I will probably just take it to MTI.

tmtraylor

Money well spent and you will have a relationship with a shop that knows their stuff!

0Ron@Vengeance Racing

We apologize for missing your call. One of our team is on vacation and we are doing all we can to keep the phones answered. Do not hesitate to leave us a voicemail, we do return all calls.

We charge $325.00 to R&R valvesprings and can usually do this while you wait. Feel free to call/email/PM if you would like to set up an appt or discuss more in depth.

ATLFerg

Sent you a PM

SJSZ06

Vengeance is where I go.
They installed a cam and other upgrades for my 2002 Z06.
They also did the dyno tune.

racebum

no used car is usually troublefree. that one is priced right and as good as any

there are no good choices for the OE wheels. the nt05 is really it and that's a dry only tire, you can do light rain but they aren't fast in the rain

i'm not sure what that one guy was saying about $1500 tires. there are none for the oe wheels unless he meant R888s which still aren't even that much